Little Brown Book
by LovelyInspiration
Summary: It was her outlet. It was her confidant. It was her shoulder to cry on. It contained her most precious thoughts. It was given to her by someone dear, and it kept them bonded. The story behind Ally's songbook is a mystery to most but a heartfelt memory to her.


**Hello everyone. Allow me to introduce myself. I am LovelyInspiration, and I mainly write for the Disney XD show "Lab Rats." I've been on for almost a year, and I'm finally posting an A &A story. Austin and Ally has been one of my favorite shows for many years, but I haven't done too much in the way of fanfiction for it. This story has been sitting on my computer for quite some time now, so I figured that I might as well post it. Better that I share it with people than keep it in Word to collect electronic dust, right? That was my reasoning, anyway. **

**Now, I haven't been terribly active as far as reading A &A fanfiction in a while. It wasn't always like that, but things changed. Needless to say, I feel a bit out of touch, but hopefully that can get better. I'm not sure if a story has been done about the origin of Ally's songbook. If so, this is my version. If not, I'm happy to have come up with a unique idea. I estimate that this story takes place sometime in mid-to-late Season 3.**

 **Now, enough with the formalities. I hope you enjoy this one-shot!**

 **I do not own Austin and Ally.**

* * *

Her songbook - the one item on this planet that represented who she was perfectly. To the public eye, it was just some beaten-up, old journal with little-to-no monetary value. To her, it personified everything she was. Even some of her close friends failed to recognize the extreme importance the book held to her. But she knew the truth.

Yes, it's true; she kept the book under lock-and-key, because what she wrote in it was private, sacred, and embarrassing. She also did that because of the deep-seated sentimental value the book held. The love she had for it stemmed from its origin. Only three people knew of how the songbook came into her custody: Trish, her mom, and her dad. It was gifted to her years ago - before she met Austin and Dez.

Ally stared down at the brown book in her hands, fingering the torn pages. She smiled to herself, thinking back on a very momentous day.

* * *

 _This was it; the day she feared had finally arrived. She felt as if in a dream. She_ hoped _this was a dream, because if it wasn't, that meant her mom was about to board a plan to Africa. She was still shaken up by the fairly recent news of her parents' divorce. And now, she had to deal with more loss. Don't get her wrong, she appreciated what she_ did _still have. Most kids weren't fortunate enough to have parents that stay friends after they divorced. It was nice to see that her mom and dad still cared about each other and weren't at each other's throats._

 _But, what was she to do without a mom around? Even though her dad was and will always be there for her, she couldn't talk to him about_ everything. _And dads didn't know how to paint nails, braid hair, or tie bows. She needed her mom. But, at the same time, who was she to discourage her mother from accomplishing her dreams? Ally had dreams too. She understood. She hoped that one day she'd get the chance to live out her dream just as her mom was. That meant putting on a brave face. She had to put aside her hurt, sorrow, and slight anger to appear happy for her mom – which she was, but that wasn't her dominant emotion right now._

" _I'm really gonna miss you mom," she said, vainly trying to hold back the emotion in her voice._

" _Oh, Ally, I'm going to miss you too. But remember, this won't last forever. I'll be back in a short year or two," her mom tried to brighten the situation. It didn't work on Ally, though. Her mom knew it, too, but "We'll be together again soon" beat out "I won't see you in a long, long time." It was only the smart way to go. Penny may not have been able to reassure her daughter, but she certainly didn't need to make the situation worse._

" _Have a good flight, Penny. Make sure to call the minute you get to a phone," Ally's dad spoke._

" _I sure will, Lester. Work hard at Sonic Boom and make it a success," Penny replied as she embraced her ex. The hug was short and sweet - nothing more, nothing less. Lester seemed to be doing much better than Ally was. However, given the relationship between the family members, it was to be expected._

" _Well, I guess I should head inside. My plane leaves in 20 minutes and baggage check can take a while," Penny concluded, glancing at the watch on her right wrist. "Oh, I almost forgot! Ally, I have something for you."_

 _Penny reached into her cross-body bag and rummaged around. Ally looked on in curiosity as to what it could be her mom had for her. Finally, Penny lifted her hand to produce a brown, leathered-covered book with a big, sparkly, red 'A' on the front. When Ally's eyes landed on the book, a smile formed on her face. She didn't care about the details; it was a book, and that's all she needed to know._

" _Here, Ally. I was at the store the other day when I saw this book and thought of you. You have an amazing voice and a true talent for writing. I want you to fill this book with all your wonderful songs, your innermost thoughts, and anything else that may be on your mind. I know this is gonna be hard for you, but I know we can get through this together." Penny handed her daughter the book. Ally took it from Penny's grasp, looking to be on the verge of tears. But what her mom said next really put her over the top._

" _And the best part is: I have one just like it. Of course, mine has a 'P' on it. I'll use it every day in Africa to document my research. And now, whenever we use these, we can think of each other. I hope you love it as much as I do, Ally."_

 _Ally's eyes intently looked over the whole book, taking in every detail. That was difficult when her eyes were so fogged that she could barely see two feet in front of her. Instead of responding, she launched onto her mom, affectively startling Penny at first. Her mom then hugged back, as Ally finally released the tears she had been holding back. Penny felt warm drops of water land on her shirt, but she didn't care. It was a nice moment that neither female dared to ruin. Lester smiled at the touching mother-daughter scene that played in front of him. It was moments like these he would always remember._

" _So, I take it you like the book?" Penny asked her daughter hopefully, once broken away from the embrace._

" _No, Mom. I love it! Thank you so much! I will cherish this forever," Ally said sincerely, gratefully looking into her mother's eyes. Penny swore Ally could make chocolate melt just by looking at it hard enough. Her daughter's big, brown eyes truly were hypnotizing._

" _You're welcome, Sweetie. Now, I really do have to leave. I promise to call as soon as the opportunity comes." Penny took her two pieces of rolling luggage in her hands._

" _Okay, I'll be waiting. I love you, Mom."_

" _I love you too, Ally-Cat." Penny kissed her daughter on the forehead before making her way into the airport. "Bye, you two!"_

" _Have a safe trip!" Lester yelled to his retreating ex._

 _Ally looked down at the leather book in her hands and decided to start flipping through the pages. The first page caught her attention. Someone had written what looked to be a note in it. She read to herself:_

 _ **Dear Ally, I hope this book provides you with a creative outlet to express your quirky self. You have talent, and I'm so proud of who you've become. Promise me that you will never give up on your music – no matter how hard it may get. Love, Mom.**_

 _Ally smiled to herself. Her mom believed in her. All she ever wanted was for people to believe in her. She wouldn't let her mom down._

" _I promise," Ally whispered so quietly that, she, herself, could barely hear it._

* * *

Most people would look at that day as sad. Her parents were divorced; her mom was leaving for Africa. At first, she thought it would be a bad day, too. Now, however, she saw it as the day she received, by far, the most important item to her.

Ally flipped through the once barren pages and took note of everything written on them. It was filled with songs, diary entries, and even sketches. She kept her promise to her mother. She never gave up on the dream that seemed quite hard to achieve at the time. In the beginning, her dad more of _discouraged_ her music than _encouraged_ it. Her mom's faith in her kept Ally going, though. She never broke. She certainly came close, but she never broke completely. This book was the only thing she had at the time that made her feel close to her mom, and that was huge. It _still_ made her feel close to her mom. That's always been part of why she never let anyone breathe near her book – let alone touch it.

It was like the book connected Ally and her mom. It gave them an unbreakable bond that only they shared. It made them inseparable, no matter what distance was between them. That was something she didn't care to share with anyone else. It was personal, between mother and daughter. This book got Ally through high school, crushes, her audition to M.U.N.Y, stressful homework, and everything in between. That's right; it was all in there. She wrote about all of that. Going to school and maintaining a music career _wasn't_ easy. Sure, she was a wiz at school, but that didn't mean she didn't work hard. Both were priorities to her – a good education and her music. This book of hers had become a best friend.

Before she got the book, Ally went to either Owen or Trish. But when Trish was on vacation, grounded, or at a family reunion, Ally didn't have her as an outlet. She had soon learned that Owen was not a good source in which to confide. Whatever she told him, he would end up telling someone else. Much like a parrot, he repeated _everything_. Ally knew it wasn't his fault, but she also knew he was no longer an option.

So, she was relieved when her book came along. It was for when she had a sudden burst of inspiration or when she needed a symbolic shoulder to cry on. It was for when she felt particularly happy or sad. It was for all of the above. She loved it dearly. She wrote her first ever song in it. That day was the start of an era and more wonderful songs to come. She feared what she would have done without her book.

"Hey Ally," Trish peeked her head in the dressing room, "You're on. Are you ready?"

The brunette took one last glance at the precious songbook in her hands and stood up.

"Absolutely. Let's go," she replied. Ally then followed her best friend/manager to the stage.

Left in her dressing room was a little brown book, awaiting its owner's return to put more of her heart on its pages.


End file.
